1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that is capable of synthesizing a form image with an aggregate image, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Along with improvement in performance of recent display devices, such as an operation panel, image processing apparatuses have come to be equipped with a function of previewing data stored in a hard disk provided therein and data obtained by scanning a sheet of an original.
Further, the image processing apparatuses also have a form synthesizing function in which a form stored e.g. in a hard disk of the image processing apparatus in advance and an input image are synthesized for printing.
In the form synthesizing function, when synthesizing a form and an image, an operator can check whether or not the form and the image are synthesized as desired, on the operation panel before printing the synthesized image.
As a conventional technique related to the above-mentioned form synthesizing function, there has been disclosed a technique for providing a means for editing and manipulating a form image, during preview of the form-synthesized image (see e.g. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-306263).
However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-306263, when using the form synthesizing function in combination with a function of printing N sheets of originals in a state collectively arranged on one sheet, editing of the form image is not taken into consideration.
For example, when two sheets of originals are laid out on one sheet, two cases can be thought of: one in which the operator desires to synthesize the form with each original, and the other in which the operator desires to lay out the two sheets of originals on one sheet and then synthesize the form with a resulting image formed by the layout.
In these cases, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-306263 enables adjustment of only a position, a direction, a color, and a size of the form image, and hence it is necessary to prepare respective form images for use in the cases in advance.
Further, there has been proposed an image processing apparatuses equipped with an image repeating function in which a predetermined image is repeatedly formed and a plurality of the images thus formed are laid out on one sheet. In a case where the form synthesizing function is used in combination with the image repeating function, it can be envisaged that the user desires to apply a predetermined form image, on a repeated image-by-repeated image basis.
In this case, it is necessary to prepare a form image created by repeatedly forming a form image having the same size as that of the repeated image and arranging a plurality of the form images thus formed. However, there is a possibility that the repeated image has an irregular shape, and hence it is difficult for the operator to prepare such a form image adapted to the repeated image in advance.